A Vegetale Garden Harvest

 

Last year we cleaned out two flower beds that due to the drought had lost all life and prepared the soil for our first vegetable garden with a few tomato, yellow snap beans and cucumber plants.   

 

It was a huge success and the plants produced beautiful vegetables into late August which is incredible with the extreme Texas heat in the summer.   This year we decided to try again and expand the garden.  Several weeks ago we planted tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, yellow squash and zucchini. 

 

These pictures are from April 4th and the last picture is from May 15th. 

 

 

Very attentive to our planting



Tomato Plants

 

Pepper Plant



 Plants today with a harvest soon to pick

 

Juice Cleanse - Heal and Detoxify Your Body

About a month ago I visited Just Organic Juice in Salt Lake City - three times during my stay.  The Grapefruit/Mint Juice is my absolute favorite.  I knew that a one-day Juice Cleanse was my next step.

I opted for the Hard Boot - boosts your metabolism and cleans house.  If you have been drinking cold-pressed juices and really want to feel better I recommend the Hard Boot cleanse.  You get six juices (they tell you the order to drink) and the cleanse begins with "Green Envy."  This starts everything moving and then you just keep on moving and drinking those juices and end with the "Almond Delight" which seems to just coat your stomach in rich almond milk sweetened with dates and a hint of cinnamon.  It is delicious!

So, Why A Juice Cleanse and what are the top three benefits?

A juice cleanse is sending a message to your body --- time to heal and detoxify. 

1.  Give your stomach a rest.  Our stomach is constantly working and never rests.  Juice requires less of the churning and burning.  Your stomach and gut will thank you for the rest.  There are so many additives and pesticides in our food and even our stress levels impact our intestines which causes our bodies to be in a state of inbalance.  The juice quickly absorbs into our bodies (the fiber has been removed) and gives our gut and intestines time to repair from all the day to day damage. 

2.  Drinking just juice helps to break the cycle of our dependence on processed foods, caffeine and refined carbs and our food cravings to name a few. 

3.  Time out for the Liver.  Our liver is continually detoxifying and preparing every molecule of food that is absorbed into our body through our intestinal wall.  All this moves into our liver to detox...a ton of work. 

One added bonus when doing a Juice Cleanse --- You Eliminate all Wheat, Gluten and Dairy. 

Last Tip - after any cleanse- because in the process of cleaning house you might loose some "good bacteria" in your gut -- take a probiotic.  I use HLC High Potency  Capsules by Pharmax.  I have tried many brands and these capsules are tolerated well in my body and are not made from any animal or dairy strains. 

 

If you are in Salt Lake near Sugar House area -- stop by and see Lisa.  She has a great story to tell and is a wealth of information regarding your health.  Thanks Lisa!!

 



Blue Apron - fresh food delivered to your doorstep

The new takeout---- delivered right to your door by Blue Apron.  The ingredients are not packaged or frozen.  All the ingredients are fresh!  It is the best - no shopping, no menu planning and it all comes in one box ready to go.  You even get three glossy full color recipe card menus with pictures of all the ingredients and step-by-step photo instructions on how to make the dish.  *It takes longer than they indicate on the card to make. 

The box is filled (completely) with fresh produce, the meat is vacuum-packed, small brown paper bags with their knick knacks for each meal.  All food products come in a brown box that is lined and full of cold ice-packs.  All real food!

I really like the concept - it is all handled for you- just pull out your cookware and utensils and you are set to go.  The price for three meals that feed 2 (we fed three on our box) is $59.94. 




Meal 1:  Tom Yum Shrimp with Gai Lam and Thai Basil



The shrimp was delicious

Meal 2:  Corned beef spiced flank steak with braised cabbage and buttered red potatoes

The flank steak was very tender

Meal 3:  Turkey Chili with cilantro and avocado

Test your "hot/spicy" comfort  level before adding all the spice

I would definitely try Blue Apron again.  This would make a great gift and was fun trying new recipes.   There are several companies who deliver fresh ready to make dinners. Next on the list to try is Peach Dish and Hello Fresh.